


The Exchange Students

by thegrandtortoise



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bi, Bisexual Character, Comedy, F/M, Fluff, Gay, Gen, Gryffindor Scorpius Malfoy, Gryffindor/Slytherin Inter-House Relationships, Harry Potter Next Generation, Hufflepuff/Slytherin Inter-House Relationships, Lesbian, M/M, Other, Romance, Scorbus, Slytherin Albus Severus Potter, Slytherin Rose Weasley, asexual rose weasley, lgbtq+
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-05-23 14:29:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14936069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegrandtortoise/pseuds/thegrandtortoise
Summary: Hogwarts decides to create an Inter-House exchange program, and the fifth years of Slytherin House get two unexpected visitors: Enter Adhira Nazari- perceptive, nerdy, Hufflepuff, and Scorpius Malfoy- mysterious Gryffindor that's caught the eye of Albus Potter. (Alright I'm giving up with this summary there's like five important characters and I'm too lazy to describe them all. Basically it's next-gen, there's a lot of fluff and romance and lgbtq and I'll try to make it funny okay thanks I hope you like it)ABANDONED. I'M SORRY.





	1. Chapter 1: Introductions, Part 1: Albus POV

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, this is just a fic I decided to try out...I have a bunch of little ideas for cute scenes/storylines that I think will fit in well with these characters, so yeah! This first chappie is a little short, but I promise the next one will be longer. I hope you like it, and make sure to leave a review letting me know what you think!

Chapter 1: Albus  
I stand in the corner of the common room, tapping my foot impatiently. All around me, people are milling about, chatting and sneaking away some of the snacks that are meant for our guests that have yet to arrive.

  
Next to me, Rose bounces stupidly on her feet, a bit too cheerful and smiley for a Slytherin. Then again, she’s always been like that. People have always thought she belongs in Hufflepuff, but I know better. Anyone close to Rose knows that she’ll do anything to get her way, and through the sneakiest means as well.

  
Sticking my tongue in my cheek, I pivot around and look up at the banner that hangs in the air, suspended with magic. It says in huge letters, “WELCOME TO SLYTHERIN!”. It even has little serpents wriggling around the lettering as a border.

  
“Ooh, I’m so excited, Al! Aren’t you?” Rose squeals from next to me.

  
“Mmhm,” I mumble disinterestedly. She’s asked me this about five times in the last ten minutes, and it’s getting old.

  
“Which houses do you think we’ll get?” Rose asks. “I’m hoping for a Ravenclaw for the girls- I really hope it isn’t Gryffindor though, that’d be a nightmare.”

I give in. “Ravenclaw would be good, I suppose,” I answer. “Hufflepuff might be a bit much, though.”

  
“Aw, don’t say that now. Hufflepuffs are quite sweet, y’know. Wouldn’t hurt to have someone not so gloomy around,” Rose muses. “Besides, Ravenclaws are fickle little shits. You never know how one might be when you first meet them.”

  
“True,” I answer, not sure what else to say. Suddenly, there’s a loud knock on the door to the common room

.  
“They’re here!” Rose shrieks, and lunges forward to open the door before anyone else can get to it- specifically, before the seventh-year prefects can, aka the people who are supposed to open it.

  
Oh, Rose.

  
She opens the large, heavy door, and lets out a squeal. Professor Slughorn stands in the doorway, and behind him is a group of 14 students- all from Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, 7 boys and 7 girls.

  
“Welcome to Slytherin!” Professor Slughorn bellows, gesturing at the common room grandly. He strides in, the students following closely until they’re all gathered in a small group in the middle of the room, Slughorn standing in front of them.

  
“This is the Slytherin common room,” Slughorn starts. “It is next to the lake, as you can see…”

  
I tune out of Slughorn’s discourse- it’s essentially the same thing as what I heard as a first year on the first day of school. Instead I take the time to check out the group of students.

  
A Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw (second years) cling to each other in the middle of the group, looking apprehensive- why wouldn’t they, when presented with a room full of Slytherins? They catch Rose’s eye, who waves at them happily. They return the smile hesitantly.

  
Who else, who else? A Gryffindor and a Hufflepuff, both seventh years, lips locked. Yuck. Another Gryffindor boy, probably a fourth year, looking ready to murder someone. His counterpart fourth year, a Ravenclaw girl who’s taking notes on everything that comes out of Slughorn’s mouth. Honestly.

  
I search for the fifth years, until I think I’ve found one. A Hufflepuff girl. Curly black hair that pokes out of a loosely wrapped hijab, long silver earrings, and honey brown skin. I think I recognize her from Charms last year. Well, Rose will be happy.

  
I look for the other fifth year until my gaze catches a head of silvery blond hair that glints in the dim lighting. No. No way. It can’t be him. I lean over a bit, trying to get a better look, and my eyes catch the red and gold border on the boy’s sleeve. I groan internally. Who else has silvery hair and is in Gryffindor?

  
“And now it’s time to introduce you to your new roommates!” Slughorn exclaims, whipping out a sheet of paper. “Slytherins, organize yourselves by year please.”

  
We’re already sort of in groups, but we bunch together anyway so that it’s clearer. I move to stand next to Matt, my best mate. I look over at him to gauge his opinion on the group, but he just looks sort of anxious. Was that a tint of pink in his cheeks?

  
“You alright, mate?” I ask, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

  
He looks over at me, startled. “Hmm? Oh, yes, I’m fine. Totally fine. Excited, I suppose.”

  
I study him for a bit longer but decide that it’s just nerves. I follow his gaze and try to pinpoint who he’s looking at, but it’s difficult as the group is tightly knit.

  
Slughorn instructs us to raise our hands when he calls out our year, so the new students can come join us. He starts with the seventh years, so I tune out until he gets to us.  
“Fifth years!” he bellows, and I’m snapped out of my thoughts. All around me hands shoot up, and I follow suit.

  
“Alright, for the girl- Adhira Nazari!”

  
The Hufflepuff girl from earlier takes a deep breath, wraps her headscarf tighter around her face, and steps out of the dwindling group. She goes to stand with the girls in our little fifth year group, and Rose greets her with a wide smile, obviously itching to begin chattering. I shake my head, chuckling.

  
“And for the boy- Scorpius Malfoy!”

  
Any remaining chatter in the room disappears with the announcement of this name. The Gryffindor boy with silvery hair steps out, running a hand through his locks. He walks toward us, and I feel my breath catch.

  
When he reaches us, Scorp- no, Malfoy - is tugging on his lower lip with his teeth. “Potter,” he says, his voice low and gravelly as he nods in my direction. I swallow.

  
“Malfoy,” I manage, returning the nod. I turn away to watch Slughorn as Matt and my other roommates, Kaito and Sebastian, introduce themselves.

  
My dad and Mr. Malfoy have been civil ever since Dad and Mum got married. Not friendly…but civil. Uncle Ron hasn’t quite gotten there yet, but that was alright as he doesn’t have to see much of Mr. Malfoy these days. I imagine he won’t be happy when he finds out that his Rosie-poo (yes, that’s what he calls her. I’ll never let her live it down.) was going to be spending a lot more time with his rival’s son.

As for me…well.

  
I look over at Malfoy- at his perfect platinum hair, his chilling ice blue eyes, his skin that looks as though it’s never seen the light of day. At first glance, he looks exactly like his father, and one would expect that he acts like it too. Cold and biting like a winter wind.

  
But I know better.

  
I know that the winter wind stayed with his father. No, Scorpius Malfoy was something else. Temperamental. Wild. Scalding. A hot summer whirlwind that surrounds and suffocates you, that burns when it brushes your skin, that can put you into a false lull with its warmth.

  
I’ve seen him around. Seen how his father is all snarky remarks and sneers, while Scorpius is all action, all intimidating looks and wild moves.  
Winter winds belong in Slytherin. Summer whirlwinds were Gryffindors, through and through.

  
This is going to be an interesting year.


	2. Chapter 2: Introductions, Part 2: Adhira POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adhira's first impressions of her new roommates, and Rose finds out something interesting about her dear cousin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter, and longer, as promised! A bit funnier and less angsty too, I hope.

_Chapter 2: Adhira_

            I look at the bright, bouncing girl next to me out of the corner of my eye. Wild red hair, light brown eyes, a couple inches taller than me- Rose Weasley. The _famous_ Rose Weasley.

            What have I gotten myself into?

            Nervously, I pull my headscarf a little tighter around my head, tucking in a stray curl that peeks out near my forehead. The other girls have also introduced themselves, and I think I’ve figured out their dynamic already, based on their behavior.

Rose is the leader, obviously. Lila Kim is the resident beauty queen- she’s wearing lipstick the color of blood and her black hair has been curled and put into some sort of intricate bun. She probably laughs and makes a savage remark when someone insults her. Typical pureblood Slytherin.

Next up- Veronica Westbrook. Book nerd, from the looks of it- she has a book in her hand right now, and it looks like she’s itching to dive into it as soon as she gets a chance. I’m not sure what she’ll be like though. Book nerds are fickle.

Finally, there’s Tina Chang. She’s dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, and her wand is tucked in a bun in her hair. Her arm is covered in doodles and random little notes, and she has headphones tucked around her neck, the wire traveling down into her pocket. I honestly have no idea what to expect from her. Maybe an evil genius?

I had greeted them all with a smile and a nod. I hope that was enough. I’m not the stereotypical Hufflepuff with the bubbles and laughs and the talking. I hope they’ll be okay with that.

We wait patiently for Slughorn to finish introducing all the exchange students, and my gaze travels over to the group of fifth year boys. There’s Albus Potter, who’s busy making moony eyes at Scorpius Malfoy, who looks like he’s trying really hard not to look at Albus. Of course Harry Potter’s son would have a crush on Draco Malfoy’s son. Talk about forbidden love.

There’s also three other boys whose names I know from class, but nothing else- Matt Peterson, Kaito Tanaka, and Sebastian Alvarez. Well, I know that Matt Peterson’s pretty cute. Floppy brown curls, every-color eyes, a couple little freckles- what girl (or boy) wouldn’t like that?

Matt turns his head to look our way, and I immediately avert my gaze to the ground, feeling my cheeks heating up. Damn, why did I have to stare at him? Keep your eyes to yourself, Adhira!

“Adhira?”

I look up to see Rose grinning at me. Slughorn’s done now, and he’s lingering near the snacks table, eyeing a plate of cookies.

“Am I saying that right?” Rose asks, now biting her lip. “Adh-heer-a?”

I smile, and nod. “Yeah, it’s right. It’s great to meet you, by the way. Rose Weasley,” I answer.

Rose looks taken aback. “Are you American?” she asks, and I realize that she’s probably never heard me speak before.

“Oh, yeah,” I say. “I moved to England just before third year. I used to live in Seattle, actually. Went to Ilvermorny for two years. Then, my dad -he’s a Muggle- got a job here so we just picked everything up and moved.”

I find myself divulging more information than I normally would to anyone I had just met. This girl is just so easy to talk to.

“ _Really?_ ” Rose says. “That’s excellent! I’ve never met someone from America before!” Then she gasps. “And to think I’ve had you in classes for two years and I never knew! This is why I’m not in Ravenclaw.”

Not sure what to say to that, I just smile and shrug. I’m doing a lot of polite smiling today.

“Well, what say I show you the dorm, and then I’ll introduce you to the boys,” Rose suggests, gesturing to the group of boys behind us.

“Sounds good.”

So the five of us traipse up to the dorms, which are considerably dimmer and cooler than the Hufflepuff ones. It’s quite nice, actually. Calm and quiet, unlike the loud and sunny atmosphere of the Hufflepuff common room. I can’t help but think that Rose would have been a better fit for Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor. She’s the least Slytherin-like Slytherin I’ve ever met.

Not that I’ve met many Slytherins.

Rose shows me my bed, which used to belong to Katarina Nettles. She’s the Slytherin fifth year exchange student, and she’s gone off to Ravenclaw for the year. My suitcase is already sitting at the foot of the bed, ready to be unpacked. The sheets are made of what looks like silk and are a deep emerald green with silver bordering. The Hufflepuff sheets were thick, homemade quilts. Oh well. I can adjust. I’m also given the same desk and dresser as I had last year.

“It’s wonderful,” I tell Rose, setting my schoolbag down on the chair that accompanies the desk.

“Oh, good,” Rose says, looking relieved. “I know it’s not exactly the same as Hufflepuff’s, but…”

“It’s perfect, Rose,” I assure her. “I don’t really feel like unpacking now. Can we go back down, or…”

“Sure!” Rose says. “Oh, but I better debrief you about the boys first. Lila, do you want to do the honors?”

“I’d love to, darling,” Lila says, her voice rich and deep, like…like dark chocolate. Ooh, that’s good. I’ll have to remember that for my writing.

“Alright, so first you have Albus Potter, dear Rosie’s cousin here,” Lila starts off, counting off her fingers. “Resident Slytherin- no, fifth year hottie.”

“Ew, Lila, that’s my cousin.”

“It’s not my fault your cousin is a hot piece of hunk. It’s a wonder he hasn’t got a girlfriend yet,” Lila muses, a look in her eyes akin to that of a prowling tiger in those nature documentaries.

“Isn’t he gay?” I blurt out before I can stop myself. The four girls stare at me, and I immediately regret what I said.

“What? Gay?” Tina asks, shaking her black hair out of her bun and running a hand through it. It’s longer than I expected, and it’s dyed a dark, blood red at the bottom, which reaches her waist. It’s pretty cool.

“Um…yeah,” I say, scratching the back of my neck. “I mean, don’t you see how he looks at guys? And he’s never even had a girlfriend, even though it would be really easy to get one.”

Tina clucks her tongue. “Well, that would explain it.”

Veronica, who has been engrossed in her book (The Hobbit, I notice), this entire time, looks up.

“I thought you guys already knew this,” Veronica says nonchalantly, playing with the corner of the page.

“V? You knew?” Lila exclaims, whipping around so fast it’s a wonder her hairdo stays in place.

Veronica, or ‘V’ as Lila called her, rolls her eyes. “Duh. It’s so obvious. I mean, think about it. He’s weirdly into fashion. Rose said that when he was little he used to play with his mom’s makeup. Also, he’s so aggressive about LGBTQ rights. He’s definitely gay, or at least bi.”

“Well, I’m learning a lot about my cousin today, aren’t I?” Rose huffs. “Now I’ve got to ask him about it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Rose,” Tina cuts in. “Let him figure it out on his own, it’s much better. He probably doesn’t even realize that he’s gay.”

I decide to speak up. “Yeah, and he’ll realize it soon enough anyway, with Malfoy here.”

Rose looks affronted, but Veronica speaks before she can get in a word.

“Oh, so that’s who he has a crush on? I always wondered who he was looking at over at the Gryffindor table,” Veronica muses, then turns her attention back to her book, her curly brown hair falling down around her face. I think I like this girl.

Rose opens her mouth, probably to protest that surely her _Potter_ cousin would never have a crush on a _Malfoy,_ but she’s interrupted by a knock and a male voice outside the door.

“Hey Rose! Can we come in? Are you decent?” it asks. I think it’s Sebastian. He has a slight Spanish lilt to his British accent. Rose starts to answer, but there’s more.

“Because if you are, we’ll come in. If you’re not, we’ll probably still come in.” Raucous laughter follows this remark- he’s probably with all the other guys.

Rose stomps over to the door and opens it. “Prick,” she mutters as she lets them in.

“Oh, little Rosie-poo, don’t be like that,” Sebastian drawls, grinning and slinging an arm around her shoulders. She ignores him and instead turns on Albus.

“You told them?” she exclaims, furious. “I told you not to tell them about that stupid nickname!”

Albus just shrugs and looks down at his nails like this is a daily occurrence. Maybe it is.

Sebastian grins. “I think it’s cute,” he says, and removes his arm from her shoulders. “So, who’s the new addition? Who’s replacing dear old Kat?”

All eyes turn to me sitting on the bed. I gulp and stand, adjusting my headscarf. I had let it go a little loose around the girls, but around boys I keep my hair securely under wraps. At least, that’s what my mother wants me to do. I don’t really care.

“I’m Adhira. Adhira Nazari,” I say, sticking out my hand to no one specifically, hoping someone will shake it. Matt steps up to take it.

“A pretty name for a pretty girl,” he says, his warm hand enclosing mine. I hope no one can notice the blush that I’m sure is creeping up my cheeks.

“American, too?” Kaito says from the back. I nod.

“She moved here two years ago from…Seattle, was it?” Tina says, looking at me for correction.

“Yeah, I went to Ilvermorny for a bit,” I repeat what I told Rose earlier.

“I have a cousin that goes to Ilvermorny,” a voice says from the back of the room, deep and quiet.

“Scorpius Malfoy,” Lila says as he steps out into the center of the room. “Welcome to Slytherin.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come visit me on Tumblr!: @thegrandtortoise


	3. Chapter 3: Lila, please shut up!: Adhira POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's fluffy and fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally going to be am angsty Scorpius POV chapter, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I give you whatever the hell this is.

_Chapter 3: Adhira_

             It’s been a few days since I came to Slytherin, and so far it’s been pretty good (aside from a few catfights between the third year girls and the snarky comments that come my way occasionally). It’s Saturday today. A day off, and I had set the day aside to write.

            I’m sitting on my bed, laptop open with a blank word document shining at me. My mind is as empty as my screen. _Damn you, writer’s block._ I’ve been hoping to get in another chapter of my story today, but it looks like it’s not happening.

_I need inspiration_ , I think, and open up the Internet.

            My mother told me that when she went to school, electronics didn’t work. Thank god that they do now- I don’t know what I’d do without the Internet.

            I type ‘YouTube’ into the search bar and pull my headphones out from my desk drawer. Lila is trying out a new makeup look in the bathroom and has dragged Tina with her to be her assistant. They haven’t noticed what I’ve been doing. Rose and Veronica are out, probably in the library studying and doing homework.

            I scroll through the list of recommendations, until I finally land on the thing I’m looking for: A new SimplyNailogical video. I’ve been watching her for a couple years now, and she never fails to make me laugh and give me a little push for my writing.

            I’m about halfway through the video, and I guess I laughed out loud because now Tina is standing next to me, looking at the screen curiously. I pull out my headphones and pause the video.

            “What are you watching? Is that a movie?” Tina asks, sitting beside me. _Has she never heard of YouTube before?_

            “Not exactly. Are you pureblood?” I ask. She nods. _Well, that would explain it._

            “Um, it’s this thing called YouTube. People make videos and upload them so anyone can watch them,” I explain.

            “What’s the point of that? Are they like stories?” Tina asks.

            “No, not really. Some people make funny videos, or they rant about stuff. Other people do makeup tutorials, or they just tell people about their life. There’s all sorts of things out there.”

            Tina’s eyes light up. “So, what are you watching right now?”

            I look back at the screen. “This is SimplyNailogical. Her real name is Cristine. She makes nail art tutorials, except they’re really funny and entertaining. She swears a lot though,” I say.

            “Can I watch?”

            “Sure.” I unplug the headphones and turn up the volume. As Cristine buffs in nail powders into her nails and makes drug jokes, I hear Tina chuckling next to me.

            “This is really cool!” she says, leaning in. “Can you show me other videos?”

            Before I can answer though, Lila’s screech erupts from the bathroom.

            “Tina! What are you doing? Leave that poor girl alone and come help me with this! I need to test out this highlighter on you!”

            Tina grins. “Yo, Lila! Come here, I want to show you something cool!”

            “What could possibly be more important than Rihanna’s ‘Trophy Wife’ highlighter?”

            “Just come here, will you?”

            Lila huffs, and sets down her beauty supplies, stalking over. She looks like a ghost with her pale white face, dark drawn out eyebrows and no color on her cheeks.

            “What is it?” she asks, crossing her arms and jutting out her hip.

            “Tell her what you told me,” Tina says, elbowing me in the waist. I repeat what I said to Tina, but don’t get to finish because Lila interrupts me at “makeup tutorials”.

            “Makeup?” she says, that same hungry gleam that I had seen on the first day in her eyes. “Show me.”

            I hurriedly type “Nikkie Tutorials” into the search bar and pull up her page of uploads to show to Lila.

            “Pick one,” I say, gesturing at the screen.

            “These are all makeup looks? And this person will show me how to do it?” Lila asks skeptically, scrolling down the page of thumbnails.

            “Yep.”

            Lila scrolls through a bit more, and settles on a dark red, smoky look that would look absolutely stunning on her. She clicks on the video, and pretty much shoves Tina off the bed and pulls the laptop into her lap. She’s completely engrossed. I open my mouth to explain a little bit more, but she shushes me immediately.

            I hear the door click open, and look up to see Rose and Veronica walk in carrying their bags.

            “What’s going on?” Rose asks us, setting her stuff down on her bed and walking over to join us. Lila shushes her without even looking up. Rose looks at me and Tina questioningly.

            “Lila just discovered YouTube,” I explain quietly.

            “What’s YouTube?”

            “Rose, you pickle, I’ve already told you about this before,” Veronica says. Then she turns to me. “These purebloods, honestly.”

            I’m taken aback. “Are you not pureblood?”

            Veronica shakes her head. “Half-blood, same as you.”

            “What’s YouTube?” Rose asks me again, and Veronica sighs.

            “I’ll explain it to you, dear. I imagine Adhira’s tired of having to explain it,” Veronica offers, and I look at her gratefully as she pulls Rose aside and begins speaking quietly. I definitely like Veronica.

            A loud gasp comes from behind me, and a loud exclamation of, “I HAVE THAT PALETTE!”

            Lila jumps up from the bed (taking the laptop with her, mind you) and begins to search through her bottom dresser drawer, which I recently learned is her makeup drawer. That first night when Lila went to take a shower, Tina had pulled me aside and said, “Rule number one: Don’t touch Lila’s makeup drawer. Ever. You’ll regret it.”

            “Why? Did something happen?” I had asked.

            Tina grimaced. “It was the middle of third year. Rose had this boy she was trying to impress, so she went looking for concealer or something. Ended up in Lila’s drawer. Lila caught her in the act, and all hell broke loose. Rose couldn’t even go near Lila’s bed for two weeks without getting yelled at, or at least a nasty look. It was terrible.”

            I now have no intention of going anywhere near Lila’s dresser. She can do what she wants with her makeup.

            Lila seems to have found her eyeshadow palette, because now she’s standing back in front of the mirror, switching between watching the video and applying makeup to her eyelids. It takes another couple minutes, but soon Lila looks like she’s done with one eye, and satisfied. She comes back with the laptop, half her face made up and the other half a ghost.

            “Adhira, you are an _angel_ ,” Lila declares, handing the laptop back to me. “These videos are absolutely incredible. Are there more people like this?”

            I blush a little at her compliment. “Oh, it’s nothing. And yeah, there’s actually like this whole beauty community on YouTube, and they all have different styles of makeup looks and they do reviews of new products too. I can show you if you’d like?”

            Lila smiles widely. “Well, I’m going to finish this makeup look first and perhaps take a couple photos, but perhaps later tonight? You’re such a darling!” Then she bounces back to the bathroom and continues on to her other eye.

            “Look at you, already on Miss Kim’s good side and not even a week in. Quite an achievement, I have to say,” Tina remarks, clapping a little. “So, are you going to show me some other videos or what?”

            A couple hours later and the five of us have settled onto the floor, lying down around my laptop watching Dan and Phil play games.

            “They’re so cute! Are they dating?” Rose asks, leaning on her elbows. I laugh. She would fit in perfectly with the online fan base.

            “Well, not officially but lots of fans think they are. A lot of people ship them,” I answer.

            “What’s shipping?”

Me and Veronica exchange knowing looks and laugh a little more. Perhaps we should keep shipping a secret for now.

            “…Let’s not get into that right now.”

            “Oh. Okay.” Rose says, turning her attention back to the screen. I’m surprised by her complacency, but I don’t question it. Rule number two: Don’t question Rose.

            Phil closes the video by putting his hand over the camera lens and the screen goes black.

            “Do you guys want to watch more?” I ask. I usually don’t watch more than two or three videos per day- mostly just the new uploads from the channels I’m subscribed to, but today we’ve watched about fifteen already.

            “Yes!” comes the unanimous answer, and I smile and shake my head. They were going to be addicted for a couple weeks now. Oh well, what can you do?

            “Can we watch another makeup video?” Lila asks and the rest of us groan.

            “We’ve already watched three, Lila! Can’t you give it a break?” Veronica moans. “Here, give the laptop to me, Adhira, I want to show you something.”

            I push the laptop towards Veronica and watch as she types something into the search bar.

            “What are you guys doing?”

            I snap my head up to look at the open doorway where Kaito and Matt are standing, their eyebrows furrowed. I immediately sit up on my knees and pull my headscarf tighter. It’s become a habit now, adjusting my headscarf whenever there were boys in the vicinity.

            “Hey, guys,” Tina greets.

            “Adhira’s shown us the YouTube,” Rose answers, without looking up.

            Veronica snickers. “’The YouTube.’ Rose, you popsicle stick, it’s just YouTube, not ‘the YouTube,’” she corrects. I’m really starting to enjoy her creative name calling.

            “What could possibly be so interesting that Veronica’s put down her book?” Kaito asks, leaning against the door and raising a brow. I look over at Veronica and yes, she has in fact abandoned her book. She must like YouTube a lot. She finishes typing in her search, clicks around a little bit, and turns the laptop around so Kaito and Matt can see.

            “This.”

            Another hour has passed. Matt and Kaito have joined us, as well as the other boys. Veronica introduced us to animation YouTube (we binged through five Domics videos), moved on through gaming (I thought the boys might like this better, though they’re a little too screechy for me), had a brief interval with Dude Perfect which Sebastian seemed to enjoy, and now we are in the middle of a mind-twisty video by KickthePJ.

            “How did we not know about these before?” Matt asks, putting his chin in his hand. “These are so cool.”

            “Y’all are just hella oblivious,” I say, and immediately realize how weird that sounded coming out of my mouth, because everyone turns to stare at me. “Sorry, sometimes my American slang comes out of nowhere,” I say quickly.

            Matt just smiles his super-cute, Charming TM smile and shakes his head a little bit, turning his attention back to the screen.

            “That was an experience,” Tina murmurs, wiggling her brows, still watching the screen.

            “What other surprises does our little Adhira have in store for us?” Sebastian wonders aloud, and I can’t help but giggle.

            I hadn’t had a lot of friends back in Hufflepuff. They were all put off by my quietness and my reserved demeanor. But here, looking around at my new housemates all enthralled by a video playing on a screen, I can’t help but feel that I’ve come to the right place. That I’ve come home.

            The PJ video finishes, and the room is silent for a moment.

            And then: “Can we watch a makeup video?”

            “Lila, you spork.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so I guess I was just way too happy today to write any angst or romance, so...YouTube. I'd like to reiterate that this fic is almost purely for me to explore my fanfic fantasies, so there might be a lot of random chapters like this where the oblivious purebloods encounter Muggle pop culture and are obsessed with it. It was so fun to write Lila and Veronica though, and I feel like I developed their characters a little more in this chappie. I want to do some more about Tina, but I'm not sure where exactly I want to go with her, so that might come a little later. The next chapter will be from a boy's perspective- I want to go deeper with the male characters a bit more. I'm thinking Matt's POV, but leave a comment down below telling me what you want!  
> If you've made it through that disgustingly long author's note, then come check me out on Tumblr! My username is @thegrandtortoise, and I post a lot of random shit that you might like. Thanks so much for reading!


	4. Chapter 4: Diricawls and Patronuses: Scorpius POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a little look inside Scorpius's (gay as hell) mind, and surprise surprise- a little flashback!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so here it is! Scorpius's POV! This didn't go exactly how I imagined it would go, but I'm really happy with it. It's also kinda long, so yay!  
> Trigger Warning: Panic attacks (nothing too major, but tbh I did get a little emotional while writing that part so I thought I would include this)
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I own nothing you recognize, it all belongs to Queen JK Rowling.

_Chapter 4: Scorpius POV_

            I stare up at the green hangings above me, willing them to turn red. Or blue. Or even yellow, for Merlin’s sake. Wait, no, not Merlin. He was Slytherin too.

            Godric, what have I gotten myself into?

            When I signed up for the exchange program, I wasn’t betting on getting put into Slytherin. It was actually the last thing I wanted. I was betting on the chance that I was going to get into Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.

            I know what you’re thinking. _But Scorpius, when you signed up you should have known that there was a chance to be in Slyther-_ yeah, I KNOW. I was an idiot, and now I’m paying for it.

            Of all the Houses, Slytherin. It had to be Slytherin, with the dim, damp common room, with the weird serpents carved into the ceiling,  with the expensive silver antiques everywhere- with Albus frickin’ Potter.

            Albus frickin’ Potter, with his stupid messy black hair and his stupid ‘emerald’ eyes and his stupid glasses with the stupid frames that he looks stupidly cute in.

            Stupid, stupid, stupid.

            And now the word has lost all meaning.

            I groan loudly, and pull my blanket up over my head, squeezing my eyes shut tightly. The only saving grace in this place is that the sun isn’t directly in my eyes in the mornings. It’s really fun when you’re a first year Gryffindor that thinks he’s let his entire family down, and on top of that you’re half blind the next morning.

            I have a lot of pent up emotions.

            “Malfoy, mate, we’re going to be late for class. Better hustle,” Tanaka says from somewhere next me, and proceeds to pull my blanket off of me, leaving me cold, and also half-naked. Wow. More fun.

            Shivering, I grab the nearest t-shirt (which was on the floor) and my stuff, and head for the bathroom, which is locked. Yawning, I knock on the door.

            “You almost done in there?” I yell. There’s a weird scuffling sound, and then a voice.

            “Yeah mate, I just…can’t seem to find my…shirt,” the voice says. It’s Albus.

            More scuffling, and then the door clicks open. From the steam and the yellow light emerges a (rather pretty) shirtless Albus Potter. Still damp. And wearing his glasses.

            Yikes.

            He looks at me, and then at my torso.

            “That’s my shirt,” he says, pointing. I glance down, horrified. Shit. I must’ve picked up the wrong shirt from the ground.

            “Oh, um- I’m- I’m sorry,” I say quickly, and pull it off, handing it to him. My face is burning. It’s literally on fire. “I’ll just- go get another,” I ramble, heading back to my bed and leaning down to grab a shirt that is (I double-check) definitely mine.

            Albus is still standing by the door, holding the crumpled shirt in his hand as I walk into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. The image of him is burned into my retinas.

            I think I might go for a cold shower today.

* * *

 

            All the Slytherin fifth years have the same class Tuesday morning (Defense Against the Dark Arts), so us boys have joined ranks with the girls, and we’re all trooping up together from the breakfast hall. I think there’s a house elf down in the kitchens that favors the Slytherins, because the pancakes today were the best I’ve ever tasted.

            Adhira Nazari, the Hufflepuff transfer, is at the front, squished in between Tina Chang and Lila Kim, who are busy interrogating her about something. Poor girl. She’s probably even more overwhelmed than I am.

            Behind them are Matt Peterson and Albus who are chatting like the old friends that they are. Actually, it looks more like Matt is staring at something in front of him and Albus is talking _at_ him. Speaking of Albus, I’m pretty sure that his robes have been modified or something because it should be _criminal_ to look that good in a school uniform.

            Directly in front of me are Kaito Tanaka, Sebastian Alvarez, and Rose Weasley. Weasley seems to be regretting her choice to walk with them, because Alverez is flirting with her shamelessly, and she keeps snapping at him with those classic, cold Slytherin remarks. It’s rather funny, actually, but good for her. As far as I know, Alvarez is the biggest player in the school, and most of the girls that fall for him end up heartbroken while Alvarez gets off scot free with his absurdly good looks. Not to mention that he’s the star chaser of the Slytherin Quidditch team. He has got a fair number of enemies, though, I’ll say that.

            I’m strolling along behind all of them, feeling slightly awkward with Veronica Westbrook next to me, her nose buried in yet another book. I don’t think I’ve seen her even once without one at least three feet away. I try to get a look at what she’s reading, but her hand is obscuring the title.

            “So…what are you reading?” I try. Veronica just holds up the book for me to see. Something called _The Blood of Olympus._

            “Sounds dark,” I say. “Is it any good?”

            She shrugs.

            “Not a big talker, then?” This time I get no acknowledgement whatsoever. I wonder if she’s even listening to me.

            “You know, you’re about to walk right into a wall.” Nothing.

            “Peeves is about to drop a Dungbomb on you.” Again, nothing. I wonder…

            “I think Albus Potter is fit.” I may have just made the biggest mistake of my life. But still- no response. I check to make sure no one is listening, and then lean in closer to Veronica. “In fact, I fancy Albus Potter.”

            Nothing. I lean back to where I was before. “That good, huh?”

            Silence.

 

* * *

 

            After a lot of climbing, we reach the Defense classroom, panting slightly. After all, it has been a while since we had to climb several flights of stairs. The classroom is already half full- we share this period with the Ravenclaws, and as usual, they are early. They’re comparing notes from other classes at the moment- the cheeky little smartasses. Professor Potter (yes, that Potter) is chatting with a couple of them, asking about their summers. When we walk in, Professor Potter looks up.           

            “And here’s the rest of the class, just on time! Let’s get started, shall we?” Professor Potter says, whipping out his holly and phoenix feather wand, exactly 11 and a ½ inches long.

            Oh yeah. I’m a bit of a Harry Potter fanboy.

            It drives my father crazy.

            “Today,” Professor Potter starts, “we will be attempting the Patronus charm.”

            A couple of gasps and also squeals of excitement from around the room.

            “Can anyone tell me what the Patronus is used for? Except for Al and Rose,” Professor Potter says, shooting a pointed look at his son and niece. Obviously, they already know the charm. I’m pretty sure all the Potter-Weasleys have it down, considering that Harry Potter considers it one of the most important charms that anyone can know.

            Instead, he picks an overeager Ravenclaw who answers the question like he’s memorized the entire textbook. Which he probably has.

            “Very good,” Professor Potter praises. “Now, can everyone get their wands out, please? I want all the desks moved to the sides of the classroom. Quickly, please.”

            The class stands up and we work together to slide the heavy wooden tables to the perimeter of the classroom. Professor Potter then directs us to stand in a big circle, and he positions himself in the middle.

            “Excellent. Now- the Patronus charm is a difficult one, but I’m sure that you will all get it soon enough. Casting the charm requires a happy memory- your happiest, preferably. I’ll give you a minute to think of one.”

            We stand in silence, and I search my mind. My happiest memory…

* * *

 

            _First year. First day. The Great Hall, the sky a swirling mass of drab, grey clouds. Sitting alone at the Gryffindor table, all the people I knew across a room that seems as big as a whole country. A bright red letter floating in front of me._

_Clutching it in my hands as it grows hot, running as fast as I can out of the hall and through the main doors onto the grounds, only releasing the letter when it singes my fingertips. Sinking to my knees as the letter rises up and opens itself to unleash the worst words I’ll ever hear._

“How could this happen?” _Squeezing my eyes together._

“I’m so ashamed.” _Throat closing up._

“Why not Ravenclaw, or even Hufflepuff? Why Gryffindor?” _Tears pricking the back of my eyes._

“We’re so disappointed in you, Scorpius.” _Can’t see._ “Shame on you.” _Can’t think._ “You dishonor us.” _Can’t breathe._

_Suffocation. Panic. Fear. Anger. Sadness. Everything at the same time, clogging up my mind, my thoughts, my throat, my body, not letting anything through, not letting anything out, swirling thoughts of pain and terror, visions of my family, pale faces and pointed noses and grey eyes, staring down at me, no love, no happiness, no care, just disappointment and shame and I can’t take it anymo-_

“Malfoy?” _Release. A breath, a wipe at my eyes. Turning around to see who is casting the shadow over me._

“Yes?” _It’s Hagrid. I know because who else is a half-giant with the biggest beard I’ve ever seen?_

“You alright there, lad?”

            _I stand tall, ignoring the burning paper behind me. I might be a Gryffindor, but I am still a Malfoy. I still have a reputation to uphold._

“I’m fine,” _I say, not meeting his eyes, which are beetle black and glisten with kindness and concern. Exactly how Harry Potter describes them. If I look at them, I’ll melt. I know it._

“Why don’t you come in for a cuppa tea?”

  _I stare up at him. Tea? How…how could tea fix this?_

“We’ll have a look at the pumpkins, and I’ll give you a little sneak peek at the Diricawls that I’ve been breeding. Rather fluffy and cute, if I say so myself.”

_Pumpkins? And what on earth are Diricawls?_

“Come on. Get your mind off your troubles for a bit. You don’t want to miss my famous fruitcake, do you?”

_Well, fruitcake does sound good…_

“Well…alright then. I suppose a cup of tea wouldn’t hurt.” _I say. He grins, and claps a hand on my back, which nearly pitches me forward into the ground._

“There’s a good lad,” _Hagrid says, and leads me to his hut, which while small, is rather cozy, and neatly kept._

_He sits me down on a cushy chair, and pours me a cup of steaming black tea, with plenty of cream and sugar. It’s delicious. A plate of fruitcakes sits on the table, and he offers me some. I take one and quickly realize that these are not cakes that one can bite into. Quite nice to suck on, though._

_He starts talking, and I just sit there quietly as he chatters on, sipping my tea._

“I saw you at the Sorting yesterday. Was a bit surprised that you got into Gryffindor, but I think you’ll do well. You’ve got that look in your eye. Same look that little Harry had when I saw him as an eleven-year old. Bit scared, nervous maybe. But you’re brave. I can tell, trust me. I’ve seen enough Gryffindors come and go to know one when I see one.”

“It isn’t all bad, y’know. You’ll make friends. It’s near impossible not to. You can try out for the Quidditch team, or you can always join the Gobstones club. They’re always looking for new members. Or go for Dumbledore’s Army. Harry- erm, excuse me, Professor Potter is the head of that one. Or do something else, y’know? Whatever you want, really.”

“I knew your father- hell, I knew your grandfather. I’m old, I am. Still here though. My back’s a bit crooked and my mind’s off with the fairies half the time, but I’m still here. If I can push through, so can you. I know you think you’ve been disowned, but you need to relax. Your family will get over it. Your father made nice with Professor Potter, didn’t he? He’ll accept you too. Jus’ give it a bit o’ time. They’ll come around, don’t worry.”

_He spends nearly a half hour talking to me before I start responding, and I find that it’s ridiculously easy to talk to this kind, slightly scatterbrained old man. After I finish eating, he takes me outside to look at the pumpkins, and I comment on how large they are. He beams proudly. Then, he shows me the Diricawls, which turn out to be fluffy, flightless birds that disappear whenever I try to touch them._

“They’re just a bit jumpy,” _Hagrid explains._ “Don’t be like them, Scorpius. You ever get scared, don’t disappear like they do. Talk to someone. Talk to me, if you want. Push through it, and you’ll be fine.”

 

* * *

 

            I chuckle as I think about that day. My happiest memory. I still adore Diricawls and Hagrid’s cakes to this day.

            “Everyone have their memory?” Professor Potter asks, and I’m snapped back to the present. Everyone nods.

            “Excellent. Now, for the incantation,” he says, and takes out his wand. “ _Expecto Patronum._ ”

            I know what’s coming before it even appears; the famous stag, which prances around the room until Professor Potter releases the spell and it fades away, leaving us with a faint sense of happiness.

            “Now, you try it.”

            Taking a deep breath, I hold out my wand as everyone else is, and focus hard on my memory.

            “ _Expecto Patronum.”_

 

           

 

           

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I hope you liked that! It's a little different than how Scorpius is portrayed in the other chapters, but I think I like how this is going so far. Hagrid is my favorite character of all time, and I believe that he's so underrated, so be prepared for more Hagrid. Scorpius is a bit of a stupid gay dork, but I like him this way. He's always so dark and moody in other fics, so I thought I might try something new! (Also I love writing from his POV so much!). We already have Albus as our moody angsty boy, and I don't think we need another. As for Diricawls, I bet you're wondering what the hell those are. I actually found those in my copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (the original 'textbook'), so those are NOT MINE. The next chapter will probably be Matt POV, or maybe Rose. Idk. Tell me what you want, and thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit me on Tumblr!: @thegrandtortoise


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